Shinnecock bares its teeth as US Open opens with fog, whipping winds
Thursday’s first round of the U.S.Open showed why Shinnecock Hills remains a grueling test.The tone was set early by the intense fog that rolled into the East End of Long Island, delaying play for two hours after a handful of groups had already teed off.
Then the whipping winds proved to be another obstacle, as promised, as some of the world’s best golfers battled the elements, with Rory McIlroy alluding to the idea of just keeping yourself in it on the first day at Shinnecock Hills.Sam Stevens, Max McGreevy and amateur Ryder Cowan’s 2-under-par rounds gave them the clubhouse lead when the horn sounded to suspend play at 8:25 p.m.as the sun set.
Wyndham Clark was 6 under through 16 holes and the leaderboard featured seven U.S.Open champions among the top 10, which included McIlroy, Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Gary Woodland.“It was a good round.
I got off to kind of a weird start with the double on 10,” said Stevens, who had been part of the early group that had its round interrupted by the fog delay.“I got off to kind of a weird start but made a birdie on the very next hole.
So it kind of felt like I settled in after that.”The winds gusted for most of the day and were evident in the morning at the first hole during Cam Young’s approach shot following the delay.Young hit the ball on the green, bouncing toward the edge before the wind caught it and sent it rolling into the bunker off the back.Sustained winds neared 25 mph, and as the day progressed, the winds shifted direction, adding to the madness.
At the fourth hole, the wind blew so hard that the person holding the sign with the player names in the group struggled to keep it above his head as they left the tee box.No.4 proved harrowing for McIlroy, too, who finished 1 under, when his drive went into the fescue, his second shot went far right onto a cart path and was nearly stolen by a fan who didn’t know better.
The world No.2 still managed to finish with par.�...